Is Profit Evil? (Pat 2): The Gift of a Good God

Posted November 13, 2018

by Mike Hatch

2. Profit is a Gift From a Good God

As I mentioned in part 1 of this "Is Profit Evil" series, profit is a fruit from obedience to God in taking the resources He entrusted to us and investing them wisely. He calls us to "be fruitful" in Genesis 1:28, and as we steward His resources wisely, in a way that honors Him, He blesses us with increase. I drew on the analogy of a mill wheel to illustrate how profit, like a river, is used as a tool to produce, ultimately leading to prosperity (Biblical Economics: A Common Sense Guide to Our Daily Bread, RC Sproul Jr.).

The problem comes when we circumvent the mill wheel by either consuming all the profit, or hoarding it. Many men live with a scarcity mentality out of the fear of either not having enough, running out of what we need, or feeling inadequate about what we don't have. We compare ourselves to others and are consumed with "keeping up with the Jones's." The desire is strong to obtain things that reflect a certain level of success and status, whether it's our house, our car, or expensive vacations. The problem with this thinking is that it is all about us, not God.

In Matthew 25:14-30 Jesus tells the parable of the bags of gold where a man entrusted his wealth to three of his servants while he went away on a long journey. Verse 16 says that the first man who received five bags of gold "went at once and put his money to work..." This indicates a sense of urgency, a desire not to waste time but to hurry away and get to work.

Why do you think this man "went at once?"

What was the hurry?

We find out at the end of the story, when the three men settle accounts with their master. The first man, who was entrusted with five bags of gold seems almost anxious to show his master that he had been profitable and doubled his master's money. The master was certainly pleased with his servant and rewarded him with more responsibility (v. 21). He also invited his servant to celebrate with him.

The man who buried the gold in the ground came last. Not only did he not earn any profit but he insulted his master by telling him what a hard and dishonest man he thought he was (v. 24). Not surprisingly, the master did not take that lightly (v. 28, 30).

The meaning is clear. This story has everything to do with the character of the man who entrusted his wealth to his servants. The first two servants were anxious to put his money to work because they thought highly of their master and wanted to please him. They were confident in investing the gold because they knew how good the master was.

The last servant was not convinced of his master's good character and, out of fear and a scarcity mentality, he buried the gold that was entrusted to him (v. 25).

As we invest the resources God has entrusted to us we have to remember the goodness of the master, the goodness of God. We have nothing to fear because not only is God good, he is anxious to work on our behalf to bless us with increase. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." (ESV)

As Christian businessmen we can have confidence knowing that God has gone ahead of us to provide everything we need. He is working behind the scenes, often where we don't see, to bring us victory and demonstrate His goodness.

As we endeavor in all sorts of business ventures let's not forget that profit is a gift from a good God.